Miscellaneous
Do you keep blaming your hectic life for not keeping up with the news?Do you wish there was a voice in your head telling you about what's going on in the city so you don't feel left out in a group? Listen to The Bengaluru Commute Podcast for news specific to namma Bengaluru! Listen during your commute to and from work, listen anywhere, at any time. Transcript:Welcome to The Bengaluru Commute Podcast, your only companion on the streets of Bengaluru. Local News1. Let's begin with updates from the city. Senior Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah headed to New Delhi on May 15th afternoon for a crucial meeting with the party high command. He will be meeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital and also likely to meet Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, the party reportedly invited Congress state boss and another CM contender DK Shivakumar for a meeting in the national capital, but he has not confirmed his visit. 2. In other headlines, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, after a late-night meeting of Congress MLAs in Bengaluru on May 14th, stated that the party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge will decide the next chief minister of Karnataka. Surjewala acknowledged Kharge's seniority and his deep connection to Karnataka, expressing confidence in his prompt decision-making. A unanimous resolution was passed by the Congress party, granting Kharge the authority to make the selection. 3. In some more news, the Karnataka election results came as no surprise to the Kannada web portal eedina.com, which accurately predicted the outcome well in advance. Their "mega survey" conducted on April 26-27 correctly projected the Congress party winning 132 to 140 seats, the BJP securing 57 to 65 seats, and the Janata Dal (Secular) receiving 19 to 25 seats. Congress's actual victory with 135 seats surpassed expectations. 4. Up next, the recent changes in leadership in Karnataka and the Ministerial council in Tamil Nadu have necessitated the reconstitution of three Ministerial panels within the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council. These panels are responsible for recommending crucial reforms to the indirect tax system. The panel on rationalization of rate structures, which was chaired by outgoing Karnataka CM Basavaraj S. Bommai, will require a new convenor as a result of his exit from power. The Council will need to address these changes and also appoint a new minister from six other states. 5. Moving on, illegal hoardings have reemerged in Bengaluru despite the 2018 ban by the High Court. Supporters of newly-elected MLAs have displayed congratulatory posters, while chief ministerial candidates gain support through similar installations. The BBMP failed to enforce its own resolution and court order. Violations breach disfigurement and single-use plastic laws. The court has criticized the BBMP for leniency. 6. Now, onto other news, a Nigerian was caught with 1 kg of cocaine, worth Rs 11 crores, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. X-Ray scans confirmed that the drug smuggler had swallowed 64 capsules carrying the drug, and was nabbed by sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on April 28th. He was arrested and is currently lodged at Central Jail. 7. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has signed an MoU to transfer land in Jalahalli, Bengaluru, to K-RIDE for the suburban rail project, according to the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd. K-RIDE officials stated that the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project's Mallige line has moved from the drawing board to the execution phase. Land acquisition, boundary wall construction, and geotechnical investigations are complete, while the batching plant's establishment is underway in three locations. 8. On a different note, with the state head of police Praveen Sood taking over as the CBI director later this month, the new government will have to choose his successor. However, the preparation of a list of senior IPS officers eligible for the post of director general and inspector general of police (DG&IGP), to be forwarded to the Union government for approval, awaits the new dispensation to take charge. Local EventsSwitching gears to local events. There are many events ongoing and upcoming in Bengaluru this week.1. Join the Pottery Workshop at Lahe Lahe on Saturdays and Sundays. Learn the art of hand-building and throwing pots on the potter's wheel. 2. Enjoy an evening of stand-up comedy at "Baking Jokes in Kalyan Nagar" at Glens BakeHouse on 16th May at 8 PM. 3. But wait, there's more. Join the Bottle Decoupage Workshop at ArtBeat Studio on 25th May at 2:15 PM. Here's Ms Namratha GN, the founder of ArtBeat, to tell us more about the event. 4. Celebrate Mother's Day with iDare and Mum21 at Mother's Day Mingle on 20th May, 3 PM, at Dialogues Cafe, Koramangala. Enjoy an empowering event focused on women's health and wellness. Let's hear from Vidhya Shanmugam, a women's wellness coach and the founder of Mum21, telling us more about the event. 5. Catch Penn Masala, the world's first South Asian "A Cappella" group, on their India Tour at Farzi Cafe on 26th May at 8 PM. National News1. Moving on to the national news. A court in Punjab has summoned Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in a ₹100 crore defamation case filed by Hitesh Bhardwaj, the founder of Hindu Suraksha Parishad, against Mr. Kharge for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Bajrang Dal during the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections, news agency ANI reported. The Congress manifesto proposing to ban the Bajrang Dal heated up the latter half of the campaign. 2. Meanwhile, the active Covid cases in the country have declined to 14,493. India has logged 801 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have dipped to 14,493 from 15,515, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on May 15th. The active cases now comprise 0.03% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.78%, the ministry said. 3. Shifting our focus, in a significant move, the Taliban has appointed a chargé d'affaires to lead the Afghanistan embassy in India, as confirmed by a senior Taliban leader. The diplomatic representative, Qadir Shah, is reportedly already associated with the embassy and is not being sent from Kabul. While the Indian government has not recognized the current administration in Kabul, it views this development as an internal matter of the Taliban. The official communication of this decision to the Indian government is yet to be confirmed. 4. In some shocking news, A male passenger was arrested for allegedly molesting an air hostess on board a Dubai-Amritsar flight in an inebriated state, police said on May 15th. Rajinder Singh, who hails from Kotli village of Jalandhar in Punjab, got into a heated argument with the air hostess and allegedly molested her on May 12th, police said. The crew members then notified the Amritsar control room and the assistant security manager of the airline lodged a police complaint. International News1. Turning our attention to international news, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has alleged that the country's powerful military establishment intends to imprison him for a decade on sedition charges. Khan has pledged to fight against the "assortments of crooks" until his last breath. The Islamabad High Court had granted Khan bail until May 9 and instructed him to seek further relief from the Lahore High Court. He is expected to appear before the Lahore High Court in relation to cases filed against him for incidents of violence following his arrest in a corruption case. 2. In more news today, A 78-year-old U.S. citizen, John Shing-Wan Leung, was sentenced to life imprisonment in China on May 15th on charges of espionage. The case highlights the deteriorating relationship between Beijing and Washington. Details of the specific charges against Leung, who holds permanent residency in Hong Kong, have not been made public. His detention took place in April 2021, during China's strict COVID-19 measures, and little information is released about such cases beyond general accusations of threatening state security. 3. In a recent development, Thai opposition leader Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party is leading the popular vote in the country's general election, with most votes counted. Pita's party has achieved an extraordinary feat since his forerunner was dissolved, and his leadership was banned from politics. Pita has been campaigning dynamically to reach voters disillusioned and yearning for change after eight years of military-backed government. MFP is the only party promising to reform Thailand's lese majeste laws, known as 112, which has long been an untouchable subject in Thai politics. Business News1. Let's now look at some business stories. RuPay, operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has announced the introduction of a CVV-free payment experience for its debit, credit, and prepaid cardholders. By tokenizing their cards on supporting merchant applications or webpages, users can enjoy a seamless payment process without the need to retrieve their wallet or recall card details. Tokenization technology ensures secure transactions without sharing actual card information with merchants. 2. In more business news, India's retail inflation dropped to an 18-month low of 4.7% in April, remaining below the Reserve Bank of India's 6% tolerance limit for the second consecutive month. The decline was attributed to base effects from last year's high of 7.8%. Inflation for urban consumers decreased to 4.85% in April, while rural consumers saw a moderation to 4.7%. Food price inflation eased to 3.84%. However, economists expressed concerns about higher inflation in pulses and personal care products, as well as rising prices of cereals and milk. 3. Moving on, in a first, Samsung Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk to discuss ways to cooperate in future high-tech industries. The two companies are currently seeking ways to cooperate in the development of IT-related technologies, such as semiconductors for autonomous vehicles, Samsung added. The meeting was held during Lee's trip to the United States. 4. In the share market, The Indian stock market saw positive movements as the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 closed the session with gains of 0.5% each. The Nifty 50 finished at 18,398.85, just below the 18,400 mark and down 60 points from its intraday peak. Meanwhile, the Sensex ended 317 points higher at 62,346. The broader markets also showed positive trends, with the Nifty Smallcap 50 rising by 0.9% and the Nifty Midcap 50 gaining 1%. Entertainment News1. Over to news from the entertainment world. Don 3 has been in the news for the longest time. Fans frequently take to social media to question the makers about its shooting and release date. Now, producer Ritesh Sidhwani has given a big update regarding the third installment and said that the film is currently in the scripting stage and that director Farhan Akhtar is finishing it. 2. In news from Hollywood, in the latest teaser of Aquaman 2, DC Studios officially revealed that Amber Heard will return as Mera. It seems fans aren’t happy and are ready to boycott the sequel because of it. Fans are fuming as Johnny Depp was instantly replaced in Fantastic Beasts as the scandal broke out. Now #BoycottAquaman2 is trending on Twitter, clearly, fans are not at all liking Heard's presence in the upcoming sequel. 3. Meanwhile, after a gap of two years, Malayam actress Urvashi is set to make a comeback with a comedy-mystery film "Charles Enterprises," written and directed by debutant Subhash Lalitha Subrahmanian. The film will hit the theatres on May 19. Charles Enterprises is said to be centred around the lives of Tamils residing in Kochi and emphasizes the impact of friendship and language barriers on family dynamics. Sports News1. In sports news, Gujarat are set to face Hyderabad on May 15th. Gujarat's predicted XI includes key player David Miller in the middle order. Gujarat is currently at the top of the table with 16 points and is likely to make minimal changes to their playing XI. Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha will open, followed by Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, and Abhinav Manohar. The bowling attack will feature Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and others. 2. In ongoing news, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek advance to the Italian Open last 16. Djokovic defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a three-set battle, while Swiatek dominated Lesia Tsurenko. Djokovic, a six-time Rome champion, expressed satisfaction with his performance and will face Cameron Norrie in the next round. Swiatek, aiming for her third consecutive Rome title, will play against Donna Vekic. 3. Wrapping up sports news, Barcelona clinched their 27th La Liga title with a 4-2 victory over Espanyol. Robert Lewandowski scored twice, while Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde also found the net. Xavi Hernandez won his first major trophy as Barcelona's coach, signaling significant improvement for the club. The match was marred by pitch invaders and angry scenes at full time Weather1. Last, but not least, Mocha made landfall near Sittwe township with winds blowing up to 209 kilometers per hour, Myanmar’s Meteorological Department said. By May 15th morning, it was downgraded from its severe status and was steadily weakening over land, according to the India Meteorological Department. High winds crumpled cell phone towers during the day, cutting off communications. Climate scientists say cyclones can now retain their energy for many days. 2. And finally, on the evening of May 15th, the weather in Bengaluru will be partly cloudy, with a high temperature of 30°C and a low temperature of 26°C. The following day, May 16th, is expected to be clear and sunny, with a high of 34°C and a low of 22°C. That’s all for now on The Bengaluru Commute Podcast for today. I’m Anupama. If you enjoyed this episode, please do follow me on your favorite podcast and player, and leave a rating and a review as well. It helps other listeners to discover the show, and I would just really appreciate it. Even better if you know someone who would enjoy the podcast, share it with them. Subscribe to The Bengaluru Commute Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Credits:Produced by SpoolerProducer: Anupama RajarathnamAudio producer: Caanu ZazaVoiceover: Anupama RajarathnamScript: Sitara D.